21 Day Practice of Capitalism – Day 11 – Rugged Determination
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP
It takes rugged determination to have a farm in rural Alaska - especially when your only source of heat is wood.. It was 0 degrees on the day I visited here.
I’ve been working on acquiring a good sour dough starter for a class I’m designing called Alaskan Sour Dough Artisan Breads. We are holding cooking classes at the Inspired Eagle Eco Bed and Breakfast in Haines, Alaska. I ran into a good friend at the post office who had a very sour sour dough starter that I wanted to give a whirl. This required a 30 mile drive on a very very cold winter day up to her farm where she lives with her nine ducks, three dogs, and two goats. Of course, being a generous soul, she sent me home with a lot more than just the sour dough starter – my bounty included 5 pints of goats milk, 12 duck eggs, and instructions on how to make goat cheese. I met my friend two years ago when she and her brood lived in a cabin across the street from my place in Alaska. She is my role model for rugged determination. Her first farm near my place was off the grid and she heated the home by her wood stove – which she also used to cook many of her meals. She had about a 1/5th mile steep driveway that much of the time she had to clear by shovel (no plow or snow blower) to get her car out. Her new farm cabin is much bigger, has electricity from the power company, much more room for her animals, and she shares the driveway with the store next door so her drive to the road is now plowed. Most of the time she lives alone with her animals, but she has started getting folks coming from all over the world who want to work on her farm in exchange for free room and board. She is a testament that whatever the type of life you want to live, you most certainly can pull it off.
